Welch, Deborah, and Michael Payne, "East York". In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Article published November 20, 2012; Last Edited March 04, 2015. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/east-york

East York

East York, Ont, Urban Community within the city of Toronto. East York was a borough until it was merged in 1998 into the new city of Toronto.

East York, Ont, Urban Community within the city of Toronto. East York was a borough until it was merged in 1998 into the new city of Toronto.

The county was first surveyed in 1791 and was originally called Dublin Township. Its name was changed several years later by Governor John Simcoe to honour the Duke of York. East York was a municipal township in York County. Early settlements in East York included the communities of Leslieville, Norway, Doncaster and Todmorden.

An area of the township close to the eastern branch of the Don River was the site of several early industries built to supply York (what Toronto was then called), the first of which were a sawmill and gristmill built by the brothers, Aaron and Isaiah Skinner. Prominent industrialist families included the Helliwells, who erected a brewery and distillery, and the Taylors with paper mills. Carding and woollen mills were also located here. Todmorden Mills Heritage Site presents this part of Toronto's industrial heritage.

The area was a prosperous agricultural area between 1840 and 1880, growing wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, peas, beans and turnips. Urban encroachment on the township began shortly thereafter. With the annexation of North Toronto in 1912 and the separation of Leaside in 1913, the east and west sections of the county were isolated. In the 1920s further pieces of the county were split, including the suburban township of East York. In 1967 the township of East York was reunited with the town of Leaside to become the borough of East York. Today East York is an integral part of Toronto.